December 2008 - Posts
Before the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, many people take a moment to make resolutions for the new year. Although it's usually a make 'em and break 'em situation, resolves can range from losing weight or quitting smoking to saving money.
Well - gasp! - celebrities make resolutions, too - here, a few athletes and actors share their personal pledges for 2009.
Aaron Peirsol, U.S. Olympic swimmer (far right)
"My New Year's resolution would be to not eat anymore pickle relish - I'm a fiend for that stuff."
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From Ryan Osborn, TODAY producer
Nevermind Michael Phelps and a historic election...
This picture of an electrical storm breaking out directly above an erupting volcano in Chile won the most votes in our feature 2008: The Year in Pictures.
Taken on May 2, 2008, by Carlos Guiterrez of Patagonia Press, Carlos told us "it felt like a scene from Dante..."
Q: What do you remember about the moment you took the photo?
A: I woke up in Puerto Varas, my hometown, in the early morning of May 2 after a large tremor. Later in the morning I flew on an Air Force plane to the site. When I took these photos it was 9 p.m. in Chile and I was in a town called Chana, 30 kilometers from the Chaitan Volcano eruption. It was very cold and one could tell that it was going to be a big eruption. CONTINUED >>
Bring out the birthday cake … er… cakes for Matt and Meredith! The two TODAY hosts both celebrate growing one year older (and wiser?) today. WATCH VIDEO
Matt who turns 51, and Meredith, who turns 55, don't usually work together on their birthday, as one of them typically takes the day off. This year, Meredith's running the show.
Last year, when Matt was celebrating the big five-oh, Meredith came in on her vacation day wearing a black wig and sunglasses while carrying a sign claiming to be Matt's "biggest fan." Matt's eagle eye caught on to the disguise immediately.
"He didn't even bat an eyelash – he knew it was her right away," said Matt's assistant, Jackie Agnolet.
If it wasn't enough of a coincidence that the hosts were born on the same day, both of their assistants share a birthday as well.
"We were laughing about how crazy it was that Matt and Meredith share the same birthday," Jackie said. "Then [Meredith's assistant and I] discovered we were both born on September 26! It was really crazy."
Amanda Bushey, Meredith's assistant, added that people often think the shared birthdays are a sign of cosmic connection.
"It's pretty unbelievable that [Jackie and I] are both in this position and that our bosses have the same birthday," she said. "People always say the planets must have aligned because we also all get along really well."
So what are the two hosts hoping to get for the special day?
"Matt is an avid golfer, so he loves anything golf-related," Jackie said. "He also loves a good book."
For Meredith, the ideal gift has to do with relaxation.
"She's always saying that she'd like to treat herself to massages, but that she doesn't take the time to do so," Amanda explained. "So buying her a massage would be a great way to appreciate her."
Both assistants said that donations to charities are also welcomed gifts for their bosses.
"Matt's a pretty simple guy," Jackie said. "But for the guy who has everything? You can't just buy him another tie."
From Stephanie Becker, TODAY producer
This morning we aired an interview with actress Cate Blanchett. She's promoting her new movie with Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." And I’m here to attest that she is, in fact, as beautiful in person as she is on screen. Drat! Not even a pimple. My neighbor Cheryl worked on the costumes for the movie and warned me that she's a down-to- earth-gal with a self-deprecating sense of humor. And she lived up to her billing. She's lovely. Drat again. WATCH VIDEO
When I told my gal pals about meeting this elegant mother of three, they didn't want to hear about the love scenes with Brad Pitt, or her winning an Oscar, or wearing stunningly form-fitting designer outfits down red carpets world-wide. Nope, my gal pals wanted some news you can use. They were desperate to know, with her flawless alabaster skin, what kind of sunscreen she uses. I had to oblige. Honestly, when would any of us ever have the chance to talk to someone with the ability and the necessity to keep skin so perfect? Then, like a little kid, the moment I saw her, I blurted out my question. Horrified that I hadn't even introduced myself I blamed my friends for my rude behavior. She tossed her head back with a great big laugh, which put me at ease. It was like talking to any old friend, if I had a friend with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Dustin Hoffman stopped by this morning to discuss with Matt his new film, Last Chance Harvey. And as usual, he was greeted by the crew with a standing ovation. WATCH VIDEO
Hoffman is a big favorite around here, because for the past several years, the day after he has appeared on the show, he has sent food to our studios for the crew to enjoy (and if there's one thing that the crew loves, it's free food). (Watch his past appearances HERE, HERE, and HERE.)
This time, though, Matt decided to turn the tables on the Oscar-winning actor, providing him with a selection of delicious appetizers during the segment. CONTINUED >>
From John Rutherford, Producer, NBC News, Washington
Will Clark got to know Ronald Reagan in the 1930s when they rode horses together each Sunday for the Army Cavalry Reserve at Fort Des Moines in Iowa.
"We were good friends, but he was a very poor horseman," Will, 104, said recently of our 40th president.
Will was a dentist in Des Moines at the time, and "Dutch" Reagan was a popular radio personality on WHO.
"He was a gay young blade around town," Will remembers. "He had a convertible 
car, and he was a very attractive man, always a friendly sort of fellow."
Will's wife Lois, 101, also has fond memories of Reagan.
"We'd have breakfast on a Sunday morning, early, early, and he was always there, at Fort Des Moines, entertaining us all," she said. "I remember one morning he had some food and he happened to stumble just a bit and dropped it down my back."
Will said Reagan had a flair for the dramatic, even then.
"We loved the guy, but he was always 'on,'" Will told the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in 2001. "He was always the actor type, and he got a little boring at times with it. He was always talking, you know, on and on and on. He never stopped."
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From Curtis Vogel, TODAY producer
When 20-year-old Gina Friedman decided to leave home for the first time by attending college in Italy in 1980, her mother, Lucille Campilongo, was worried about how Gina could possibly take care of herself.
“When it became a real reality,” said Lucille, “I sort of panicked, and thought well how is this kid going to survive? She can’t boil water. She’s sort of domestically challenged.”
In the months leading up to her daughter’s departure, Lucille sat down every day to write down everything she knew and duhad learned from her own Italian mother about cooking, cleaning and laundry. At Gina’s going-away party, Lucille gave her the spiral notebook that she had filled with all of her knowledge on domestic duties.
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If there were a contest to choose the Queens of Self-Deprecation, Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford would win it, hands down. On Wednesday, the co-hosts of TODAY’s fourth hour found plenty about themselves to laugh at.
The bad news, Gifford announced, was that once again, Kotb had not been named TIME’s Person of the Year, an honor that went to some fellow named Barack Obama.
The good news was that both Kotb and Gifford beat out Angelina Jolie, Sarah Palin and others to finish first in Al Reynolds’ “Sexy, Sexy, Sexy Ladies” list, presented by E!
Reynolds, who is famous for being Star Jones’ ex, explained his choice in sultry boudoir tones while Kotb and Gifford watched and laughed: “The fact is neither Kathie Lee nor Hoda are sexy, sexy, sexy ladies, but if you put the two together, you still don’t have a sexy lady. But I still love ’em. The heart wants what the heart wants.” WATCH VIDEO
A duet wasn’t in the script, but when Bette Midler dropped by Tuesday to chat with Meredith Vieira and brought along her ukulele, things just happened. Midler started strumming and they both started singing the old Dean Martin hit “The Glory of Love.” They harmonized like they’d been doing it for years:
You've got to give a little, take a little
And let your poor heart break a little
That's the story of,
That's the glory of love.
Still the diva’s diva, The Divine Miss M was in the TODAY studio to talk about her Las Vegas show, “The Showgirl Must Go On,” and her new compilation CD, “Jackpot: The Best Bette.” WATCH VIDEO
Vieira had been in Las Vegas when Midler was putting the show together at Caesar’s Palace, so Midler had dressed her in tights and put her through “Diva Boot Camp.” The two watched footage of Midler instructing the TODAY co-anchor in the art of wrist dangling, and congratulating her on the way she shimmied and sashayed across the stage.
Now 100 shows into her run, the tireless Midler is still dressing in a mermaid’s outfit every night, along with a lot of other costumes made mostly of sequins and feathers. She just turned 63 on Dec. 1 and is celebrating 24 years of marriage to husband Martin von Haselberg.
“How many happy?” Vieira kidded.
Midler smiled, seemed to think about it, and then decided, “Moments of all of them.”
Midler was born to be on stage, the bigger and gaudier the show the better. She did, after all, grow up in Hawaii, and one of her early professional gigs in New York was singing in a gay bathhouse accompanied on the piano by another young performer with big dreams – Barry Manilow.
She had wanted to play the ukulele since she was a girl, but was too poor to buy one. About a year ago she finally got one – it has a pink sounding board – and learned to play it.
Doing a big stage show is just as much fun as ever, she told Vieira. What’s hard is doing all the exercise and getting the right nutrition so that she can have the energy to perform every night.
“The show is not the grind. The show is fun,” she said. “The hard part is the warming up, doing the exercise, trying to keep your body from falling apart.”
Her husband comes out to keep her company and explore the many pleasures of Las Vegas. She also bowls, a game she took up during her “Kiss My Brass” tour of 2003-04.
“I’m such a good bowler,” she told Vieira. “They brought back my balls.”
“I don’t think those were ever missing,” Vieira quipped.
UPDATE: Click here to watch Matt's interview with Tom Cruise from Monday's show. We'll have more Tom Cruise on Wednesday.
Three years ago ─ a month after his infamous couch-jumping incident on Oprah ─ a newly-engaged Tom Cruise sat down with to talk with Matt Lauer about ‘War of the Worlds,’ but the interview quickly turned into a war of the words. The two debated Cruise’s earlier-criticism of Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants, prompting the three-time Oscar-nominated to let out of series of ‘Matt, Matt, Matt’ and calling him "glib." They've buried the hatchet and Cruise gave Lauer a verbal squewering at this fall’s Friars Club roast (video) but we’re wondering what will happen when they get together again on the TODAY set on Monday. In the meantime, take a look at the video from their famous encounter on June 23, 2005.
From Natalie Morale, national correspondent
We often say we are like family on the Today Show, but I never felt it more than today, my semi-first day back from maternity leave. (I’m officially back on the 26th.) I was warmly welcomed "home" repeatedly by the gang, the crew, the folks out on the plaza, and viewers. It's nice to feel missed, so thank you to those who have thought of me, e-mailed or even wrote.
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| Spending some quality time with baby Luke and Joe. |
Truth is, I feel I was here all along because I watched the show as you all do, as viewers -- ok with a little more insight to the inner workings of the show. Most recently, I celebrated in our team's accomplishments, as you all did, when they traveled to the Ends of the Earth to highlight the issues confronting our planet with global warming. I also was able to actually "watch" my first election not working -- so I got to stay up really, really late. (OK, truth is I never really got to sleep much because of constant feedings, burpings, changings). I missed being here especially during such an historic election, but it was fascinating getting to see how all the networks were covering such an incredible time. I've also watched and learned so much along with you, as we've seen our economy crumble and are living in very uncertain times.
One thing about the Today Show, and I hope you will agree, is no matter what the day brings, there is a real sense of connection... of belonging... of family. I mean this not just as a member of the team, but I felt it just watching from home. I remember long before my days on the show especially feeling that sense of belonging while watching the TODAY show on the morning after 9-11. As long as the team could find the bright spot, make you smile or laugh out loud, all seemed as it should be. Clearly, I've missed being here….
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With his wife Meredith Vieira by his side, Richard Cohen was honored Monday night by
AARP The Magazine for being a "voice for the chronically ill." Cohen, 60, was one of 10 honorees to receive the 2009 Inspire Award, which recognizes people over 50 who "are putting their passion into action to make the world a better place."
Watch a clip of the event.Cohen discovered he had multiple sclerosis in 1973 -- but he didn't let the illness get in the way of his work as a CBS producer. By 1996, his disabilities prevented him from working in television and he has since spent his time advocating for others who have the debilitating disease.
"Everybody is touched by chronic illness," he told the magazine. "It's the flood under the door."
The event was held at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Other recipients of the 2009 Inspire Award include actress Glenn Close, who has been a mental health advocate, and record producer Quincy Jones, who has worked to fight poverty.
As Matt Lauer pointed out during today’s interview with Michael Phelps, you know you’re famous when you kiss someone – or even just have dinner with a member of the opposite sex – and it ends up in the gossip pages.
“It’s something you just laugh at and shrug off,” Phelps told Lauer.
But speaking of those rumors … is Michael Phelps single, or is he dating Las Vegas cocktail waitress Caroline Pal?
“I’ll just leave it up in the air,” Phelps said in the green room, a slight blush rising to his cheeks. “Things get blown out of proportion, I’ll tell you that.”
A real-life Phelps look-alike?
On Halloween night, Phelps laughed when his friends kept texting him reports of Michael Phelps-costumed revelers at various parties (the gold medal swimmer spent the night of Oct. 31 in a Chicago hotel room preparing for an appearance, so he didn’t dress up – as himself or anyone else). But there’s one fellow sports star who’s being compared to Phelps’s likeness on the other 364 days of the year.
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By John Rutherford, Producer, NBC News, Washington
Dec. 7, 1941, a day that will live in infamy, is a day most Americans living at the time will never forget. That was the day, of course, that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, plunging the United States into World War II.
Will Clark heard the news on his car radio in Des Moines, Iowa. Dick Day was dressing for church in Providence, R.I. Elizabeth Teal was home in Johnstown, Colo., and Yoshiko Akizuki was fixing dinner in Guadalupe, Calif.
Like the other centenarians, Will was shocked by the news on his radio.
"This guy was talking about corn, pigs and horses," Will recalls, "and all of a sudden he said, 'The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor!' Well, my father-in-law and I sat there for a few moments, and pretty soon he looked at me and I looked at him.
"'What'd he say?' 'The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.' But then the guy went on talking about pigs and horses and stuff, and I couldn't believe it. In about five minutes, why, everything broke loose and they started talking about the attack on Pearl Harbor."
More than 2,400 Americans were killed and the U.S. Pacific Fleet was crippled in the attack. Within weeks, the late Dr. J.C. Lockhart of Peoria, Ill., was on the first relief convoy to reach Hawaii.
"Did get out to Pearl Harbor and was tremendously shocked at seeing so much more damage than had been reported," he wrote a friend at the time. "Honolulu was sick. Martial law, and all stores closed at 4:30, all restaurants at 5:00. No lights were ever turned on. The sentries are so quick on the trigger that no one even walks out at night, much less drives."
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Wes Bledsoe, founder of A Perfect Cause, an advocacy organization devoted to fighting for the rights of the America’s elderly and disabled, was on TODAY Dec. 4 to talk to Meredith Vieira on a troubling story about abuse in a nursing home. (Watch video). During his visit, he updated Meredith on the progress that has been made in fighting predators in nursing homes as a result of his previous appearance on TODAY last April. In Wes’s own words:
"The TODAY show has played a key role in protecting Oklahoma – and, ultimately, America’s long-term care residents – from registered sex offenders who are warehoused with vulnerable adults.
“In April 2008, the TODAY show presented a report on predators in nursing homes that Meredith Vieira called “disturbing.” The report spotlighted Sandy Banning, whose mother was raped in a Florida nursing home, as well as my own personal crusade to protect long-term care residents from violent and sexual predators. (Watch video)
“The report focused national attention on legislation to establish a separate and secure long-term care facility for registered sex offenders. Authored by Rep. Kris Steele, the Oklahoma House Bill 2704 passed every committee, House, and Senate vote unanimously . Governor Brad Henry signed the bill into law on June 10, making Oklahoma the first state in the nation to establish a separate long-term care facility for Level III (High Risk) and Level II (Medium Risk) registered sex offenders.
“The TODAY show report also sparked a Congressional hearing on July 23, organized by Rep. Mary Fallin (R-OK) and chaired by Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA), about the impact of predators in America’s nursing homes. Since then, 13 other states have expressed interest in modeling Oklahoma’s new law. Rep. Fallin intends to introduce a similar bill on Capitol Hill in early 2009.
“I am so grateful to NBC, the TODAY show, Meredith Vieira, Natalie Morales, and the staff for covering these disturbing long-term care issues and the solutions. The result will be safer long-term care for our disabled and elderly loved ones. Thank you!”
